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Sweden is experiencing a rapid increase in its rat population according to the country's biggest pest control company, which says that the growing trend for outdoor food stalls is partly to blame.

The whiskered animals are becoming more commonplace as "more people eat out, take fast food and go to the growing numbers of food trucks and stands," according to Sven Jeppsson, spokesperson for Swedish pest control firm Anticimex.

He also notes that household waste is increasingly being stored outside apartment blocks, rather than indoors.

"So the rats have more opportunities to source food from us and multiply than when we just dined at home," he tells The Local.

Across Sweden, 33,960 cases of rats were reported in 2013, compared to 29,006 in 2011.

Figures for 2014 are expected to show "another big rise around the country," when they are released in January, says Jeppsson.

"We can't tell you the figures yet, but numbers are most definitely going up," he added.